Leading Labour lights caught in perfect political storm

The Lord Mayor of Cork, Labour’s Catherine Clancy, was the most high-profile casualty in the city’s local elections carnage as her party was annihilated.

Labour lost all seven of its seats — as well as Michael Ahern’s retirement, the party lost northside seats held by Ms Clancy, John Kelleher, and Michael O’Connell, and southside seats held by Ger Gibbons, Lorraine Kingston, and Denis O’Flynn.

When the new council meets next week, it will be the first time since 1979 that there will be no Labour councillors.